What Goes in My Green Bin?
Ask the Waste Wizard to find out where and how to properly dispose of an item.
Almost 50 per cent of household waste (by weight) is organic material. The City’s Green Bin program helps keep waste out of the landfill by collecting organic material and turning it into compost that can be used in gardens and parks. The City collects organics from approximately 460,000 houses, as well as apartment and condo buildings, schools and City-owned buildings.
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Collapse All- Line your kitchen catcher or Green Bin (not both) with any plastic bag (e.g. grocery, milk, produce). It does not have to be biodegradable
- Twist or loosely tie the plastic bag (no twist ties)
- Take food items out of their plastic bags/wrap, as too much plastic results in lower quality compost
- Check your collection calendar or Waste Wizard to see if packaging is recyclable
- To prevent odours, wash kitchen catchers and Green Bins frequently (both can be cleaned with dish soap.
- Kitchen catchers are available at selected retailers and Community Environment Day events
- For new, additional or replacement Green Bins for houses, contact 311
- Fruits, vegetables
- Meat, poultry, fish products (including bones)
- Pasta, bread, cereals, rice
- Dairy products, eggs and shells
- Coffee grounds/filters, tea bags
- Cake, cookies, candy, nuts
- Diapers, sanitary products
- Animal waste, bedding, cat litter
- House plants, including soil
- Soiled paper such as food packaging, ice cream containers, popcorn, flour and sugar bags
- Soiled tissues, napkins, paper towels (unless they have been used with chemicals/cleaning supplies)
Packaging
- Plastic or foil bags/wrap/trays
- Outer packaging
- Foam polystyrene meat trays and liners
- Plastic food containers, glass jars, pop cans
- Hot drink cups, lids, sleeves
Garbage
- Chopsticks, popsicle sticks, toothpicks
- Dryer sheets, baby wipes, make-up pads, dental floss, cotton tipped swabs, cotton balls
- Hair, pet fur, feathers, wax, cigarette butts, wine corks, vacuum bags/contents, fireplace and BBQ ashes, gum
- Medical waste: cloth and plastic bandages, gauze, intravenous, catheter/colostomy bags and tubes
- Pieces of wood
Single-Serve Coffee and Tea Pod Research
The City of Toronto recently commissioned research related to disposal of single-serve coffee and tea pods. The findings include feedback from Toronto residents about use, attitudes, and disposal behaviours.
